Grains Quality Improvement Project

Country: Ghana

Impact Area

Background

HEALTHY START:A farmer in Tamale, Ghana, drying grain produced with support from the Nestlé Grains Quality Improvement Project.

Nestlé’s sustainable agriculture strategy is designed to ensure a steady supply of safe, high-quality agricultural commodities and allow rural communities to increase their income as a result. One of our priorities in this area is to reduce the high levels of mycotoxins in cereals, dried fruits and nuts from Central and West Africa, as this natural, fungal contamination can cause immune suppression, impaired development in children and liver damage in both humans and animals. Up to 30% of cereal crops are lost to contamination, caused largely by the humid environment and poor drying and storage practices.

Programme description

Locally produced cereal grains and legumes (beans, peas, etc) are important to our business, and particularly for our breakfast cereal brands like Golden Morn, Cerelac and Nutrend. Our Central and West Africa business therefore launched the Grains Quality Improvement Project, in conjunction with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, to reduce mycotoxin contamination levels in Ghana and Nigeria by 60%.

This reduction will be achieved through a combination of:

Toxin-reduction strategies such as good agricultural and storage practices, developed in
co-operation with national extension partners

Value to Society

An estimated 150 million people in the three countries exposed to aflatoxin (a type of mycotoxin) will have healthier diets as a result of the project.

Value to Nestlé

In 2008-2009, only 10,000 trained farmers produced grains with mycotoxin levels within Nestlé standards (four parts per billion). By 2010, this number rose to 30,000 farmers. The management and control of mycotoxins is supported by an awareness campaign and greater stakeholder dialogue, delivered through leaflets, newsletters and even pictorial guides for illiterate farmers, which are intended to make food companies, retailers and wholesalers, as well as farmers, more aware of the health implications of mycotoxin contamination.

Next Steps

The programme is planned to be rolled out in Zimbabwe, Kenya and other countries where mycotoxin contamination is an issue.